Monday, September 28, 2009
buy me some peanuts and cracker jack (on second thought, skip the peanuts)*
*It was the only song lyric I could think of that included peanuts. This post has absolutely nothing to do with baseball. Just so you know.
But it has everything to do with the peanuts. And, I guess, the Cracker Jack. Because it turns out our dear Bean has a peanut allergy.
It was the reason for the blood-draw horror last week. See, when Bean got approved for peanut consumption at her 15-month appointment I was all, YEAH! I GET TO FEED HER PB&J! THE OFFICIAL SANDWICH OF THE TODDLER RITE-OF-PASSAGE! ROCK ON! And then I did. And she got these angry red welts on her skin wherever the peanut butter touched her. It wasn't pretty, and had me scrub scrub scrubbing her face and neck and fingers until they shined, trying to get that awful peanut stuff OFF. I figured, Hmmm - what's this? So she stayed away from peanut butter for a few weeks. And then I tried again: same reaction.
She hasn't had it since. I ran the whole scenario past her doc on Thursday, hoping she'd be all Pish Posh, it's nothing. But it wasn't. Instead she was all, HMMM. WE NEED TO HAVE HER TESTED TODAY. Which then sent us down the Hallway of Doom into the Laboratory of Screaming Death with the Hurting Needles and the Even More Hurting Rubber Band Arm Thingie.
I got a message from the office on Friday afternoon: Please call us back.
So I did, my hands shaking as I pressed the buttons. When they gave me the news, they also included the following: So...she's allergic to soy, peas, fish, and peanuts. (At which point my brain starts going DUDE. NO WONDER SHE INEXPLICABLY THREW UP EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. YOU GAVE HER THOSE FISH STICKS THAT CHIP HATES SO MUCH. HE IS GOING TO DO THE DANCE OF JOY THAT HE NO LONGER HAS TO HAVE THEM IN THE HOUSE. And then my brain took a quick rest and moved into YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF, FEEDING HER THOSE FISH STICKS THREE DAYS IN A ROW! BAD MOTHER! And then on to AT LEAST YOU HAVEN'T FED THEM TO HER SINCE THEN. THAT MAKES YOU A DECENTLY PASSABLE MOTHER FOR THE LAST 90 DAYS. BUT YOU'RE SKATING ON THIN ICE.) And then I actually started to hear more of the nurse's words as she was explaining things and also telling me, "You'll need to come in and see the doctor as soon as possible next week." And then as she searched for a time on Monday (!) morning for us to come in, I remembered that the doc had mentioned that if it was a peanut allergy, we'd need to be trained on giving Bean an injection, in the event that she was again exposed to peanuts and stopped breathing.
So.
I know it's not the end of the world. It's a speed bump. Something we'll move over, work with, approach with caution but not allow to rule our lives. I've got a handle on it. Besides the sad half-hour freak out I had in the privacy of my own home on Friday afternoon (NO REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUPS? NO PEANUT M&M'S? NO NILLA WAFERS WITH STRAWBERRY JAM AND PEANUT BUTTER? NO JIF???? AT ALL???????), I'm fine. And we're fine. And Bean is going to be just fine.
It's a bummer, though, you know? That she's going to be one of the allergic kids. The kids that can't eat peanuts. That have to read the ingredients of everything. That can't have chocolate bars like everyone else and will have to carry her own from-home-weird-food in a sad little bag. (Fine! So I'm overstating it! Again! Sue me! I am MOURNING THE LOSS OF PEANUT BUTTER AND FISH STICKS FOR MY ONLY CHILD! And soy. Which, I reminded her on Friday night, "Well, dude. I'm here to tell you that it's unlikely you're ever going to become a vegetarian."
The peas... I'm not sure if I'm sad about that at all. It's just weird. (Though, on second thought R.I.P. SPLIT PEA SOUP, GREEN GLOB OF SQUISHINESS. BEAN NEVER KNEW YOU, BUT SHE WILL HAVE TO MISS OUT ON ALL THE HIJINKS OF HAVING HER MOTHER TELL HER THAT SHE CAN'T LEAVE THE TABLE UNTIL SHE FINISHES HER ARMY GREEN SOUP. TO WHICH SHE WILL REPLY: FINE THEN, I'M GOING TO SLEEP HERE. Not that I'd know anything about that. Um, at all.)
So - help a girl out. Tell me everything you know about peanut allergies and I'll report back tomorrow with info.
NOTE:
SOLACE OF LEAVING EARLY BOOK READERS AND DISCUSSION-HAVERS --- YOU HAVE THREEEEEEEEEEE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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10 comments:
kaesha's baby is allergic to peanuts, dust, dogs, eggs, and shellfish. shellfish? the kid's half samoan!
Food allergies are the suck.
Zack is allergic to eggs. He hates eggs so I've never even noticed and he's never had a reaction to anything that is made with eggs, so thankfully it appears minor. We only found out because he was tested for cats and dander and dust mites and all the other fun seasonal stuff for which we got a big DING DING DING. We had to find the kitties new homes :-(
It seems like you're handling this quite well. Hopefully it won't be TOO much of a hassle and now you have a whole new topic of blogs to read.
Oh, it will be okay. One question... could she outgrow this? I know that happens in some cases when kids get allergies as baby's. Think of all the wonderful butter and jelly sandwiches you can make (I actually like these better than peanut butter). I'm sorry about the Nila wafers thing, especially since you just told me about them. I will have them at my house and you can come for a visit and I will make you some.... and Alice can play with toys and I will have treats that she won't have worry about. "}
P.S. I'm madly reading.....
Aww, sweet little Alice Bean. My husband was super allergic to a bunch of things when he was tiny. He has since "grown out" of most of them. He was tested again a couple years ago and was allergic only to dust and some kind of tree. He WAS prescribed an epi pen for his dust allergy after his mouth started swelling inexplicably a couple years back, but he's never needed it.
Well, Friend, two things.
1) No child of YOURS is EVER going to carry a sad little bag of lunch and you very well know it. You will be making FABULOUS, colorful, FUN bags for her to take her BEAN SAFE food to school in. And then you are going to post tutorials to your blog so that the rest of us can be as cool as you and the Bean.
2) If it's peas and peanuts it sounds like it may be on the legume side of things, so you might be cautious giving her any other beans. Which sort of makes her nickname kind of ironic. Especially, given how much you HATED the smell of beans when pregnant with her...
And ok, I guess there's a 3) A friend of mine is married to a guy who is DEATHLY allergic to peanuts but she misses her peanut butter and she found that if she eats sunflower seed butter everyone wins. She get something that tastes much like peanut butter without the DEATH to her husband side-affect.
But yes, sad about the REESES. I shall have to consume some on behalf the Bean. I may even break off a small chunk and let it fall to the sidewalk as a silent salute to my peanut allergy riddled homie.
I have nothing useful to add, just sympathy. Because allergies like this suck. It's sad to think of your beautiful, perfect kid having limits of any kind placed on them at such a young age.
And NO REESES PEANUT BUTTER CUPS? A tragedy, that.
But how great that you know about it now and can address it.
Oh, and a good friend's 4 years old daughter just got the green light on ALL her previously allergenic foods! So if third-hand anecdotal evidence makes you feel better, there's that.
Oh noooooooo! Okay, okay, let's not panic. FIRST, I HAVE heard of children outgrowing even very serious food allergies they had in babyhood. So there is a SLIM but VIABLE hope for Reese's peanut butter cups. Second, if she's not going to outgrow it, do you already read Kelsey? I've found her such a great source of peanut allergy information (and plus she's fun to read and has cute kids).
Also, I finished reading the book today and IT'S ON. I can't wait to TALK! (I don't know what I'll SAY. But I'm READY!)
Peanut allergies are all the rage at Emily & Katie's school! All the cool kids are doing it!
One of Emily's close friends is one of those cool kids and her Mom talks to Heather before birthday parties to find out what kind of cake she's having and she makes the girl a "special" one to match. You will totally be that kind of Mommy!
Also, I'm sure Little Bean will have cool Friend Moms (like Heather) that only serve the pre-approved snacks at the party to make sure this little girl feels as comfortable as possible.
I guess I'll double up on peanut M&Ms now. I have to do it. For the Bean.
Oh the possibilities! You'll be able to make/ find/ buy plenty of suitable substitutions. And it's great for all of us to read the ingredients of everything - regardless of allergies! Okay, it's not like I'm excited for you (I know I sound a little too gung-ho - I'm just trying to stay positive :). This is stressful and will mean a little more work, but you'll be great :). I've got a couple of cracker recipes that we like - let me know if you'd like any!
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